A BEAUTIFUL FUTURE
Internationally renowned interior designer KATHARINE POOLEY talks to Yanni Tan about POST-COVID TRENDS and the finer points of creating a DREAM HOME.
Katharine Pooley discusses decorating trends and her creative process室内设计发展趋势
国际知名室内设计师Katharine Pooley，分享后新冠时代的室内设计发展趋势，以
及如何打造梦想住家。
FROM PRESTIGIOUS TOWNHOUSES in London and luxury chalets in Italy to a large city-centre apartment in Singapore and a hotel and clubhouse in China, Katharine Pooley has done it all. Once a banking executive, the London-based interior designer is today an award-winning decorator of choice to the global elite, having grown her business across the world since founding it in 2004. The awardwinning designer, who also once lived in Hong Kong, Thailand and Singapore, shares her vision, beliefs and creative process.
The current pandemic has made the world stay home and put more focus on our living spaces. Has Covid-19 influenced interior trends of late?
Absolutely. Covid-19 has reinforced the importance of home as a place of sanctuary and comfort. I also see a greater interest in the environmental impact of design and making responsible design choices that have a positive effect on the surrounding environment.
What are some of the strongest trends to emerge this year that will continue well into the future?
Generally, the strongest trends are for more spacious and more luxurious interiors that are highly personal, multifaceted and include standout features like swimming pools, bars, gyms and large terraces that many used to enjoy in the very best hotels and private members’ clubs. Colour trends are for soothing, light and tonal interiors with the introduction of small quantities of richer accent tones like aubergine, burnt orange and deep inky blues.
Speaking about trends, I’m always curious about the lifespan of an interior design trend.
I don’t like to follow trends; our clients expect to set trends, not follow them. They are not interested in having what everyone else already has. They want what nobody even knows they want yet. I do often look to other industries for inspiration though, such as the fashion industry.
How often should we actually refurbish our home so that it doesn’t look dated?
I believe if designed well an interior should not need updating. However, many of our clients would look at a partial refresh every decade as the family evolves and sensibilities change. Also it is only natural that clients may want small changes and additions over the year so we continue to work with them to ensure the interior evolves in line with their lifestyle. I am very proud of our aftercare service!
Katharine Pooley的作品，有伦敦富有声望的联排别墅、意大利奢华山间木屋、新加坡市中心高级公寓、中国重资酒店和会所……曾经是银行专员的她，以伦敦为基地，是全球受崇敬的得奖装潢与室内设计师。自2004年创立业务以来，公司足迹遍及世界各地。她曾经在香港、泰国和新加坡等地居住。看看她的愿景、理念、创意过程……
当前冠病疫情肆虐，迫使人们必须留在家中，对生活空间的要求因此更加注重。冠病对近期室内设计潮流，带来了影响吗？这是当然的。疫情加强了家，作为安逸庇护所的重要性。我也观察到，人们比以前更加关注设计对环境产生的效应，也致力于做出负责任的设计决策，给周遭环境带来正面影响。
觉得今年有哪些新兴的设计趋势将会在未来数年持续下去？大致上，最强劲的趋势是人们寻求更宽敞、奢华的设计感，要强烈体现个人喜好，融入多种元素，还要有类似最高级酒店和私人会所的亮点设备，如游泳池、酒吧、健身室、大型露台。颜色喜好，将偏向柔和、浅色系和单色调为主，并加以少量像茄皮紫、焦橙和深靛蓝的浓色作为点缀。
室内设计业每次出现流行风，一般会持续多久？我不喜随潮跟风。我们客户的要求，是定义流行而不是跟风。他们对已经有的，不感兴趣。他们要的，是别人还不知道的。不过，我还是会时常参考其它产业，如服装业的动态，来给自己一些设计灵感。
住家应该多久重新装潢一次，才不会显得过时？我相信好的设计是不须要重新打造的。话虽如此，家庭成员的要求会随时间改变，所以很多客户大概每十年会要求做一些局部更新。再说，时间久了，想做些小更动或添加新东西是人之常情。我们会持续跟客户沟通，生活变换了装潢也同步更新。我对我们的后期服务，感到非常自豪！
What should we look out for in ensuring we don’t jump atop a trend wagon blindly to find that a fad has passed in a flash?
I find it helpful to look at the fashion world. Some styles are so timelessly elegant, original and cleanly realised, they never date. Think classic Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Celine etc. Aim to create the same ambience in your interior, one that is effortlessly glamorous, chic and understated, but also unmistakably luxurious. Don’t be driven by what is fashionable but more by what is beautiful. These classic pieces will continue to be elegant even as trends rise and fall around them.
What are the key must-dos and the major no’s in decorating for our tropical climate?
There are obvious finishes to be avoided and embraced in tropical countries. I know from my many years living in Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong that harder finishes will prove more durable and sanitary in humid conditions. I love to use resins, high-gloss lacquers, poured metals and polished marble together with textured timber and stone to create layered, rich interiors that are durable as well as luxurious. The most important thing when using hard finishes is to balance them with soft textured fabrics so that the space remains inviting and atmospheric.
What would you like to see Asia do more of ?
I think that some of the architectural design in Asia (and elsewhere, we are equally at fault in Europe) can be so contemporary and cutting-edge that it has lost its soul and does not speak to the surrounding landscape nor the humanity of those who will live within it. I would love to see more natural texture and warmth in these designs, and a little more richness and layering perhaps.
What is your creative process like when designing a home?
I start by taking a detailed brief from the client, analysing all floor plans and, where possible, visiting the site. This will then lead to the conceptual design stage where through sketches, conceptual imagery, modelling, layout development and loose finish and fabric schemes, a design starts to take shape. Once the client is happy with the conceptual direction, the detailed design work commences.
This takes the form of three packages. Firstly, a very detailed architectural drawing package including all elevations, sections, plans, bathrooms, kitchens and joinery. Secondly, a specification package covering all door ironmongery, joinery detailing, lighting, floor and wall finishes, AV equipment and systems, and bathroom and kitchen fixtures and equipment. Thirdly, an FFE (furniture, fixtures, equipment) package which breaks down in a clear and comprehensive way every furniture piece, window treatment, fabric and accessory. These three packages are presented to the client along with CGI renderings and rendered elevations that show every piece in the interior in each room for client sign-off alongside associated costs.如何不盲从跟风？服装界很有参考价值。有些风格是那么永恒优雅、独特、利落，永不过时，像Chanel、yves Saint Laurent、celine等的设计。室内设计也应该如此，要不刻意地呈现美感——别致、低调，却又实在体现奢华感觉。不要被流行牵着走，美才是主导。经典的东西，总能在流行趋势起起落落间，依然保持高贵典雅。
在新加坡的热带气候里，有什么是做室内装潢一定要注意的？在热带国家，必须避免使用某些饰面材料，但也有些材料是特别合适的。多年在泰国、新加坡和香港生活的经验告诉我，越是坚硬的材料，越能在潮湿的环境保持卫生、耐用。我喜欢树脂材料、高光树漆、浇注金属和抛光大理石等，用来配合有纹理手感的木头和石头，可以制造出丰富、有层次的装潢。这样的搭配不只耐用，还尊贵豪华。重点是，坚硬的材料跟柔软有层次的面料要配合得平衡，才能让空间营造出舒适的氛围。
你希望亚洲地区在装潢设计上多做些什么？我认为亚洲（以及其他地区，我们欧洲也一样）一些建筑设计过于现代化，走得太尖端，以致失去了自己的灵魂、和在地风土人情没有任何接应。我希望看到更多呈现天然质地，更有温度的设计。要是设计可以丰富一些，有多点层次，那会更好。
请谈谈你做居家设计的创意过程。首先，我会了解客户的详细诉求，分析所有平面图，也尽可能实地考察。接下来就是概念设计阶段，透过草图、概念图像、模型、施工规划、饰面材料和面料方案等，形成一个整体设计。一旦客户对设计概念取向觉得满意，我们就进行细节处理。
详尽的设计方案，由三个配套构成。（一）详细的设计图配套，包括所有立面图、剖面图、平面图；涉及浴室、厨房、细木工艺等等。（二）规格要求配套，涵盖门锁五金、细木工细节、灯光、地面和墙的饰面、影音器材和系统、浴室和厨房装置及器材等。（三）家具、固定装置和器材配套：每一件家具、窗户装饰、面料和装饰品等的细目。我们把这三组配套，连同CGI三维动画影像一并呈现给客户，让客户详细了解每一个房间里的每一样物品，以及相关费用，再一样一样签核。
我尽可能把整个流程弄得简单、直白。做到完全透明化，同时在每一步骤用心聆听客户，解答他们的疑问。客户经常会在各个阶段要求修改和更正，我们会对所有反馈做出回应，做到顾客百分百满意，得到他们的信任和支持后，才接着进行采购、施工、安装，最后交付给客户。
I try to keep the process very simple and straightforward. Total transparency is key as well as really listening and responding to the client at every step. The client often requests revisions and changes at each stage and we then work to accommodate all their feedback and achieve total sign-off to move forward with their blessing and trust to the procurement stage, building works and finally, installation and handover.
How much of a project is you, and how much of it is your client?
I would say it is 50/50 – it is a partnership and a meeting of minds. All of my clients become very important to me as they are entrusting me with something very personal to them, along with intimate knowledge of their life and how they like to live. My vision is always inspired by my client and anchored in who they are as people. The fun part of my job is to draw this out of them in the early stages and then leave them alone for all the hard work of creating it, and then surprise them with it at completion. Many clients have become close personal friends so I must be doing something right!
每个项目中，“你”的成分多少？“客户”的成分又多少？我估计是50/50，每个项目都是双方意见达成一致的合伙关系。所有客户对我来说都非常重要，因为他们将极为私人的东西交托给我，透露他们日常的私密细节，告诉我他们的理想生活方式。我的设计都是受他们启发，以他们为本。
我的工作之所以有趣，就是可以在前期和客户密切沟通，彻底了解他们，之后在完全不打扰他们的情况下，自己掌控整个创作过程，直到工程完成时才给他们一个大惊喜。很多客户都变成了我的挚友，所以我应该还做得不错吧！
设计一个城市高楼公寓最基本的优良设计原则是什么？流动感最关键：空间和空间之间必须有好的连贯性。充分利用自然采光，整体观感呈现一致性。在狭小空间里，每一件家具、饰品都应该有审美价值和灵活性，灯光必须够精致。
近期完成的项目，哪一个最让你感到自豪？为什么？上个月在伦敦为一名国际客户完成的作品。它是一栋七层楼的联排别墅，有数个阳台和娱乐区，还有spa、游泳池、健身房、家庭影院、七个卧室等。室内设计新颖、别致、奢华，尽是令人赞叹的艺术品、吊灯、细木工等。客户很年轻，尽管当时因冠病疫情仍处于封城状态，我们仅仅用了五个月，就完工交付。客户和妻子对我们的辛勤成果非常满意，特别令我感到骄傲。
What would be the basic guidelines for good design for a high-rise city apartment?
Flow is key, the spaces must lead into and open into each other. Natural light must be utilised and finishes should use the same narrative throughout. In a small space, every piece must have aesthetic value and flexibility, and the lighting must be exquisite.
What’s a completed recent project that you are most proud of, and why?
The property I completed last month in Mayfair, London for an international client has to be seen to be believed. It is a townhouse set across seven floors, including a spa, pool, gym, home cinema, seven bedrooms and multiple entertaining areas and terraces. It’s fresh, chic, luxurious and full of awe-inspiring art, chandeliers and joinery. It was for a young client and we turned around the interior in five months and during the Covid-19 shutdown. I am very proud of that in particular, as we worked tirelessly to ensure the client and his wife were thrilled with the final outcome!